Not a Rosé Fan? Try These Two Crisp Summer White Wines Instead
By now, anyone who has bothered to parse some of my posts, knows I’m no fan of rosé unless it’s rife with bubbles. No judgment (or not much to the faces) of those who worship the pink stuff, especially during the hot months. I’m just not a huge fan of hybrids, be they wine styles or whatever. I like things to be what they are, and rosé is nether white, nor red.
Two Summer Wines Worth Drinking Instead
Anyway, here are two summery sippers that are neither pink, nor Sauvignon Blanc (which seems to be the primary summer wine that isn’t pink). I’ve been loving them both lately, especially as the feels-like temp has been pushing 100° F in New York City. And the best news is that they’re pretty cheap. You can score one bottle of each for less than the cost of one Whispering Angel, and you can probably get a mix of three for the price of one Cloudy Bay!
Torrontés: Argentina’s Refreshing Alternative to Sauvignon Blanc
They are from opposite sides of the pond. I came across the Astica Torrontés while looking for an alternative to my go-to white, Muscadet (I’ve been preaching the merits of this lean and refreshing Loire staple forever and will continue to do so). The distributor was out, and I was bitterly disappointed. But after spying this on the bottom shelf, it stirred up memories of Torrontés past that I used to taste when the magazine I tasted for was doing its annual Argentina deep dive.
Why Torrontés Deserves More Attention
For those not familiar, this grape yields fresh and lively wines that aren’t about body or even expressive aromatics. The wines are on the lean side and citric, hence my affinity. I’m always looking for alternatives to Sauvignon because I often find them too expressive to the point of shrillness. Torrontés, like Muscadet, is the anti-SB. So, lemonade out of lemons. And this one registers about $11 a bottle.
Côtes de Gascogne: One of France’s Best White Wine Values
Next up, and from the same wine store, I spied this one in the front in a prominent display. I often ignore these placements because they are often used to clear out aging inventory. This was not that. The aptly named Domaine de Joy makes one of the very purest versions of a Côtes de Gascogne that I have ever tried. It is squeaky clean, vibrant, bracing and minerally, placing it very much in the anti-SB camp.
What Makes Côtes de Gascogne So Refreshing?
For those unfamiliar (most, I should think), this French appellation is snuggly nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees, not far south of Bordeaux. This fortunate geographic placement with its maritime influence allows for gentle ripening but not excessively so. The vast amount of the area’s production is white, and the vast amount of that is dry. There is a range of grapes in play, with ugni blanc (a version of trebbiano in Italy, where it is said to have originated) and colombard being perhaps the most prominent. This one is colombard heavy, with a big chunk of ugni and lesser bits of gros manseng and sauvignon blanc.
Great Summer Wines Don’t Have to Be Expensive
But you don’t need to know all that. All you really need to know when you run into a Côtes de Gascogne is that it’ll be about $14-$15 a bottle (or less) and the vintage. Get whatever is current, which isn’t to say that they can’t take on a little bottle age. It’s just that the point is uber freshness, isn’t it?
So, there you have it. Proof that while I may be a pink hater, I’m not a one-trick-pony white sipper either!